Like any good underground black metal band worth their salt, it’s hard to tell exactly how many demos and splits the otherwise burgeoning USBM solo artist Threshing Spirit has so far released. I could say four demos and three splits, but by the time this premieres on Tuesday afternoon, Threshing Spirit may release another tape or two and prove me wrong. Rampant prolificacy aside, Threshing Spirit are not like most other black metal bands. For one thing, they’re a little bit country.
The Crucible, Threshing Spirit’s first full-length comes out on 12″ vinyl this Thursday from American Decline Records. Jordan Reyes, the solo musician behind Threshing Spirit, and the owner of American Decline Records, maintains his tradition of approaching the composition of black metal with unlikely and highly unorthodox influences to compose The Crucible. American literature, informs much of Threshing Spirit’s themes—as their new album title suggests—, but so do several genres of contemporary music completely disparate to black metal.
Threshing Spirit choose originality over tradition and the results speak for themselves. Recorded by Reyes and mastered by Andrew Weathers, The Crucible is Threshing Spirit’s most ambitious and most fully realized work yet, much needed breath of fresh air moving breezily through the black metal underground.